


Don The Mask

by dragonsFall



Series: Mutants [14]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Gen, Hospitals, Implied/Mentioned Skin Picking As A Coping Mechanism, It Does Not Occur In This Fic, Its gone now, Lying to your father figure just so he doesnt worry, Marco & Thatch are really good brothers to each other, Marco becomes a vigilante, Marco is about 21 in this one, Marco just has wings and a healing factor, Medical Inaccuracies, Mentioned/Implied Murder Attempt, Thatch almost dies, Thatch had a mutation, Thatch is about 18, Vigilante Marco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28757442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsFall/pseuds/dragonsFall
Summary: After his little brother is attacked, Marco makes a life-changing decision.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Thatch
Series: Mutants [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894681
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Don The Mask

Everything had come crashing down around the little family the moment Pops picked up the phone. Thatch was in the hospital. Not for the first time in his life considering his kidneys had started to fail him when he was barely starting high school.

However, this was not for anything like that. No. Thatch had been attacked when he was leaving work. Stabbed in the back and left for dead. They weren’t sure he would make it. The blade had pierced dangerously close to his heart. The family was informed that they should spend as much time with him as possible.

Marco sat in the room with his silent brother, his leg bouncing as he rubbed at his face with his hands. He was struggling not to pick at himself, struggling to keep some  _ semblance _ of composure. How the hell could he do that when his brother could possibly die  _ again _ ?! He’d always been that steady pillar. He needed to keep being that. Needed to be strong.

His hands clasped and came to rest against his mouth and chin, eyes focusing on the rise and fall of his little brother's chest. His left hand slowly pulled away from the other, leaving the right to support his head.

A larger hand grabbing his own stopped him before he could even think about doing what he was about to do. It had been years since he even thought about falling back into the bad habit. “Marco…” Pops gentle yet gruff voice. He didn’t speak again until Marco was fully focused on him. “Take a walk, son. Get something to eat while you’re at it”

“Pops—“

“I’m not asking, Marco”

He knew better than to argue with the older man. As much as he wanted to fight against it, he knew that he was right. With a sigh and a nod, Marco got up to his feet then left the hospital room. The hallway was quiet, dull. Too small. He needed to get out. Stretch the wings that were pressed so tightly to his back. Invisible thanks to the image inducer around his wrist.

As Marco walked down the hall to find the exit, he found himself pausing as a snippet of conversation reached his ears. It was coming from just around the corner he was about to turn.

“A sixth victim and still no leads” Sighed a tired voice. Marco could imagine the crossed arms and weary expression of what must be a police officer. “Did he say anything when he was brought in?”

“No. He was in shock so nothing coming out of his mouth was making sense. Barely conscious too. He had lost a lot of blood. Not to mention he was almost stabbed in the heart” Explained what must have been a doctor in a matter of fact way. “He’s the same as the others. A mutant attacked when there was no one else around.”

“Well… Let me know if he wakes up. He could provide us with the lead we’re needing. I’m surprised the city hasn’t put a curfew in place to prevent more murders” 

“The victims are Mutants. The city doesn’t care at all for them. But… We’ll let you know if he makes it and he’s ready for questions. I can’t have you stressing out my patient”

“Right. Thank you”

Booted footsteps walked away from where Marco stood while a second, lighter pair came around the corner. Nearly colliding with the young man that was lurking there.

“Oh! My apologies. Everything alright?” Asked the short doctor as they looked up at Marco, recognizing him as one of the two visiting their patient.

“Just… looking for the vending machines, yoi” answered the blond.

“They’re just around the corner” The doctor moved past him then paused. “Remind your father that visiting hours end in an hour. We’ll be sure to call you if anything changes”

“Thank you. I will” Marco replied then rounded the corner. Just as they said, the vending machines were there but the young mutant was far from interested in their contents.

Thatch's attacker had done this before. They were still out there and could potentially do it again. The police were having no luck in trying to find the person responsible. If Thatch survived, would they come for him again out of fear that he would tell? That he would help catch them? 

They knew the police were after them, using every means possible to hunt them down. But… they wouldn’t know if someone else was after them. Someone not associated with the police officers but with their own motivation to find them. 

Was Marco seriously thinking about diving into the life of a vigilante? Wanted by villains and the police. Operating under their own moral compass. Helping humans and mutants when the cities protectors failed them or were too slow to react. 

Pops would never approve. Marco was a good kid with his whole future ahead of him. Accepted into a good medical school that he was doing quite well in. Working to get himself through it. Would he give that all up?

The answer was yes. He would. For Thatch, he would do whatever it took. He was his little brother. They had been through hell together. Thatch helped him with his wings when he couldn't get them free. Marco had donated both of his kidneys just so he would survive. If it was Marco who was near death in a hospital bed, Thatch would do the same thing in a heartbeat.

Marco shook his head. He needed time to actually decide that. It was a big decision. The young man turned and made his way back to the hospital room where Thatch was. He had been gone long enough.

<><><><><>

<><><><><>

Marco made up his mind the moment Thatch opened his eyes and tried to give him a reassuring smile. He was going to hunt down the person that was responsible for his brother's pain.

Thatch was unable to provide the officers with much on his attacker. He hadn’t seen them after all. He had only heard them. But the description of the footsteps gave them the guess that it was a heavyset man. That was much better than nothing. It gave Marco something to work with anyway.

Pops must have seen something in his eyes because he made Marco promise that he would not try to go after who was responsible. ‘Just let the police handle it’ was one of the things he said. Of course, Marco had promised just to give his father peace of mind. It had been a flat out lie.

Marco had given himself a full week to prepare for his new career. A week to see if any new information became available. Time to visit with his brother who was still in the hospital since they wanted to make sure there were no complications with his wound. A week to find items he would use for his alter ego.

The young man had slipped out of the house late the night he had decided he was ready. He decided to begin his search near Thatch's former workplace. Marco perched himself on the building just across from it. A tall office building belonging to some newspaper. His back was to the observed building.

As soon as he was ready, Marco slowly slid the deep blue mask over his face. He tried to get used to it being on his face. The young man had already changed out of his civilian clothes.

He was going to find the one that had nearly killed Thatch. Killed others and left their families in ruins. Murdered them in cold blood. For what? Mutations. Thatch had tried to use his but found that it was gone. Not dormant. Gone entirely. They hadn’t put an inhibitor on him as they believed his powers to be harmless.

Thatch was the only family he had known for the longest time. He was not about to let the person responsible just get away with nearly murdering his brother. They would be found and brought to justice.

Marco fell backward off the building, wings tucking close. He appreciated the whistle of the wind as he plummeted. It ruffled his feathers, kissed his cheeks, and sang him a tune no one but the birds would get to hear. At the last moment, he unfurled his wings to grace the speckled night sky with brilliant azure wingtips. He allowed himself to climb high in the star dusted tapestry to begin a lifetime of searching.

All for the sake of his younger brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Officially have a writing Tumblr! panicswriting is the name of the blog! Feel free to drop by and leave a request!


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